Online Designer Lighting Destination
During my employment at LightCo, I had the opportunity to revitalise their e-commerce brand Lighterior by transforming its branding, creating a user-friendly website, and implementing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. This included redefining the brand’s mission and values, developing a visually appealing website focusing on SEO, rebranding social media channels, and utilising targeted Google Ads campaigns. The result was a cohesive and engaging online presence that attracted design enthusiasts and positioned Lighterior as a leading destination for luxury lighting solutions.
Branding
Lighterior’s brand required a complete overhaul, lacking a clear identity. The first step involved understanding Lighterior’s mission and values:
Mission: To provide the Australian public with a diverse collection of iconic lighting designs, spanning from classic elegance to contemporary statement pieces, featuring timeless products from internationally renowned designer brands.
Values: To offer authentic designer lights, showcase only the finest iconic lighting brands, and deliver exceptional lighting service to clients.
With these elements in place, the brand design process began, drawing inspiration from high fashion brands for a luxurious feel. The typography featured capitalised, carefully kerned letters with a bold font weight. Although initially using a black-and-white colour scheme, deep emerald colour was chosen to represent the brand better, beautifully contrasting with the metal accents of their products.
User-Friendly E-commerce Website
With a solid grasp of Lighterior’s mission and values, the next objective was to create an accessible online lighting destination where customers could confidently shop and learn about lighting through informative guides, as well as read about local and international designers and brands.
Built on the popular Shopify content management system, I customized a visually appealing, UX-focused website with our mission and values in mind. The site prioritized on-page and technical SEO, crafting user-centred content, strategic meta titles and descriptions, and ensuring SEO best practices were implemented throughout development.
Social Media Rebranding
Despite being an existing business, Lighterior had a minimal social media presence with fewer than 100 followers on Instagram and even less on Facebook and Pinterest. The existing content also failed to align with the new branding. I initiated a fresh start on all social media channels, combining brand-produced images, user-generated content, and inspirational interiors/exteriors from top Australian designers, stylists, and architects.
I then developed a strategy for paid social media channels, aiming first to increase website traffic among design enthusiasts and then to funnel these users into Lighterior’s email marketing campaigns through promotions like Free Shipping and various competitions.
Google Ads Strategy
To quickly establish Lighterior in the competitive lighting market, I implemented a Google Ads strategy. Lighterior’s niche focus compared to standard lighting companies allowed us to target high-volume, specific keywords. I began with shopping ads and standard search ads, which yielded faster ROI compared to display ads or smart ads.
Content & Email Marketing
In order to maximise customer engagement and retention for Lighterior, I devised a comprehensive content and email marketing strategy that aimed to inform, inspire, and convert potential clients. By leveraging a multi-faceted approach, I was able to establish Lighterior as an industry leader and foster meaningful connections with interior design enthusiasts.
Email Marketing:
Recognising the value of targeted email communication, I implemented a robust email marketing strategy that focused on segmentation, personalisation, and automation.
In addition, I set up automated email workflows for various customer journeys stages, such as welcome series for new subscribers, cart abandonment reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups. This automation ensured timely communication, increased conversions, and fostered lasting relationships with clients.
Content Blog Strategies:
Understanding the power of high-quality, relevant content, I developed a content strategy for Lighterior’s blog that focused on providing valuable insights, industry news, and design inspiration. By creating a content calendar and consistently publishing engaging articles, Lighterior’s blog became a trusted resource for design enthusiasts and contributed to the brand’s credibility and authority in the luxury lighting market.
By utilising an integrated approach, I was able to attract design enthusiasts to Lighterior’s website, engage them with informative and inspiring content, and ultimately, guide them towards making a purchase. Moreover, post-purchase communication strategies were employed to maintain customer satisfaction, encourage repeat business, and generate referrals.
Overall, the combination of email marketing, content blog strategies, and marketing funnels contributed to the ongoing success and growth of Lighterior, solidifying its position as a leading destination for luxury lighting solutions.
The Challenges
During my work on Lighterior, I faced several challenges, including:
- Limited data for a new brand: As Lighterior was a new brand, historical data was scarce, necessitating extensive A/B testing to optimize our strategies. Fortunately, our parent company, LightCo, provided insights into seasonal traffic patterns, allowing us to make informed comparisons and decisions.
- Data cleanup: We encountered numerous issues related to pricing and SKU management, which demanded a significant investment of time and effort to resolve. These complications were more time-consuming than initially anticipated, but addressing them was crucial for ensuring accuracy and streamlined operations.
My Achievements
My Accomplishments with Lighterior:
- Comprehensive brand development: I successfully built the Lighterior brand from the ground up, encompassing branding, e-commerce website creation, and holistic marketing execution, which included SEO, SMM, and SEM.
- Rapid sales growth: Within just eight months, I managed to scale the business to achieve impressive monthly sales figures in the six-figure range.
- Expanding social media presence: Through effective Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns, I significantly increased Lighterior’s social media following, enhancing brand visibility and engagement.
- Boosting average order value: I raised the average order spend from $780 to $1,199, demonstrating the effectiveness of our targeted marketing efforts and the appeal of our high-quality product offerings.
- Reducing bounce rate: By accurately targeting our specific demographic and displaying prices on social ads, I successfully decreased the bounce rate, as users were well-informed about Lighterior’s position in the high-end market before visiting the website.
